Mickey Mantle’s Bat Master kit, 18 x 7.5 x 3, signed on the top of the cover in black felt tip, “Mickey Mantle/7-12-'92.” The day before signature was acquired was Old Timers' Day at Yankee Stadium and Mickey Mantle was there to receive the huge ovation from the fans as he always had. Invented by fellow Oklahoman Glen Barnett to “improve batting averages up to 20%” (according to the box), and manufactured in Stigler, Oklahoma, by the Barnett Manufacturing Co. in the late 60's or early 70's, it never made it onto the shelves of stores because it was unsafe. To use the Bat-Master, the batter had to tie one end of the rope attached to the tension suspended Wilson Rubber Cover ball to a tree branch and the other end to a metal stake which was included in the box. The problem was that when you hit the ball with a bat (not included), the metal stake would fly out of the ground. The inside of the box has a label affixed upon which the following has been typed, almost certainly by the manufacturer: “This Bat-Master is sold strictly as a collector’s item, and is not intended for actual use or play.” The ball and rope is still tied in its original factory knot, and a 4.25 x 6 facsimile signed reads, “Hi Team-mate, Thanks for trying Bat-Master. I hope it helps your hitting, Mickey Mantle,” a batting average calculator, and an Installation and Instruction book (which includes Mantle’s Secrets of Power Hitting are all encased in its original plastic stapled at the top and right to the inside cover of the box. In very fine condition. Item is scarce in itself, and with Mantle’s signature measuring an impressive 9” long, makes this a very unique item. Auction LOA Steve Grad/PSA/DNA and R&R COA.
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